Help us spread the joy of Christmas by supporting our Independent Students

Every year at the University of York we come together as a community, with staff, students, alumni and friends, to raise donations in order to provide Christmas presents to our Care Experienced and Estranged Students, who are studying without parental support. This is the 7th year of this fantastic campaign and we intend to build on the huge success of previous years and put together Christmas Stockings packed full of love, surprises and festive magic.

If you would like to make a donation it would be greatly appreciated, and every donation will go a long way to supporting Care Experienced and Estranged Students this Christmas. We understand that a donation may not be possible for everyone, so if you are not in a position to donate at the moment please show your care by sharing the campaign as far and wide as you can - let’s generate as much festive cheer together as we can.

We have more Care Experienced and Estranged students studying with us than ever this year. We are aiming to provide around 150 stockings and are hoping to spend £30 on each stocking, so we need to raise £4,500. However, the amount spent on gifts will be determined by how much we raise.

Please join us in showing a little love.

Students who have received Christmas gifts in previous years have really appreciated these, and have shared below some reflections on what this support from the incredible University of York community has meant to them:

• "When Christmas is a time for family it can be really hard for students like us. The Christmas hamper makes you feel cared for and makes a lonely time a lot easier."
• "I have received the stocking for a few years now and it is always a great feeling. However especially last year it made a great impact to have something to look forward to and actually open on Christmas Day. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone."
• "The first time I received a Christmas stocking was last year. If I’m honest I wasn’t even expecting anything from anyone so it was just a welcome surprise. It was really nice to know that the University cared about us students who wouldn’t really be celebrating Christmas. I felt like I wasn’t truly alone and everything was just so thoughtful."
• "I usually spend my Christmas in my flat alone here in York, so it will be really nice to have this little bit of festivity. I’m taken aback by the kindness and generosity of the University."
• "This makes me feel so happy. I don't have a family and sometimes Christmas can feel a bit isolating. It's nice to feel special."
• "Receiving the gifts last year made me feel like the University valued me and genuinely cared. Every year it makes me feel like someone is there looking out for me and I get to have the Christmas I missed out on as a child (in a really small way that means a lot<3)"

Where will the money go?

Every single penny will be spent on providing these stockings and sharing Christmas cheer. Many of our students have shared that during Christmas time, life at University can feel lonely and isolating. We are hoping to raise enough to spend £30 on each student, however whatever we raise, all donations will go towards providing these stockings and sharing Christmas cheer.

Find us here

If you have any questions or would like to make contact, our email address is student-independent@york.ac.uk.